Tag Archives: Lifestyle

It’s been over two years since I was made redundant. A lot has changed since then and I’m now working in a sector which I absolutely love. At the time however, it was not a pleasant period. I was at my lowest, already feeling miserable as I was constantly failing my driving test. My gut was telling me at the time that something wasn’t right, but I kept convincing myself of other things. I remember it was a normal working day when I was told in the morning that I was to be made redundant and it’s a strange mix of emotions.

Hearing those words, I just couldn’t face carrying on at work. The news hit me smack in the face. I instantly felt emotionally drained. I had to force myself to contain the tears at work and later, as I was on public transport, until I arrived to the safety of my home where I just cried, and cried, and cried.

After a day of wallowing in my sorrow (not a massive fan of showing my emotions, I prefer to bottle things up!) I decided to re-think a lot of my goals, follow my dreams and bounce back. A week later, with a few interviews lined up, I felt a lot more myself. Eventually I built up my confidence, but losing your job is a frighting experience.

How can you spot the signs and move on before it’s too late? Based on my experience, here’s some warning signs and red flags….

The company is making a loss

If the company is making a severe loss or is in a significant amount of debt, then it;s inevitable that your boss will want to make cost savings and re-adjust budgets. This could be instigating a hiring freeze, stagnating wages, postponing company perks, the list goes on.

Promises aren’t kept

I was promised training and on the job experience, a new laptop, and a pay rise for hard work, all in exchange for an initial low wage. What I received instead was lies, non of the above, and having to lug my laptop to and from work. It’s heart-breaking when you are so eager to learn and work and your dreams are crushed by the reality of a broken promise.

No contract

This is a huge warning sign. Never receiving a signed contract from either party isn’t best practise and doesn’t assure job security. No signed contract shows the company has no commitment to you and can get rid of you at the drop of a hat.

No real job title or job function

I was increasingly being left to fend for myself in the office, even within my first month. It was soul destroying not being given enough work to do. The cognitive dissonance experienced of having a fancy job title which isn’t reflective of your actual day to day activities and responsibilities is frustrating. In this instance I was clearly hired for a role which didn’t really exist, nor was there the scope of work to conduct, especially considering the lack of investment in training and support received. If you are often left alone in the office and spend most afternoons twiddling your thumbs, there’s no place for you.

Reduced contact time with your boss

All these points could be due to other factors, but rarely are, and should be addressed or resolved with your boss. If your boss is acting shady, being elusive and non-committal, it’s time to update you credentials and start job hunting.

With reflection, this was possibly one of the best things that could have happened to me. It allowed me to gain knowledge and experience, re-focus on cementing a career in marketing and I used the redundancy money to pay for a course which further added to my skill set. It was a blessing in disguise, especially when you power on with a positive outlook despite the negative experience.

So, part of my New Year’s Resolution is to drink a lot more water than I usually do. As I work in an office job I drink copious amounts of caffeine but not enough water and especially whilst at the gym, there are so many benefits to maintaining hydration.

Call me fussy but unless water is cool, better yet ice cold, I find it increasingly difficult to drink the amount of water that we all need. My current Voss glass water bottle does the job just fine for stylishly holding water for when I need it most, such as after an intense boxing session.

I have tested a few water bottles in my time and find so many of them either leak, are too heavy, difficult to hold or just not practical nor aesthetically pleasing.

I was recently lucky enough to have the opportunity to review Audacious Rhino’s smart, sleek range of flasks. I choose this Black Rhino Vacuum Flask* and for the past week have been trailing it to see whether it does what it says on the tin (website). In a word, it does!

As a lover of black it was an obvious choice going well with all of my gym gear, but aside from that aspect there are a whole list of great features. It’s a 380ml vacuum insulated double walled, stainless steel flask, capable of maintaining both extreme hot and cold liquid for hours. Importantly for me, this product has an easy grip nonslip coating, perfect for sweaty classes like hot yoga! The flask is BPA free and has a wide mouth so you can add ice cubes or infuse your water with lemon easily and makes washing it much more hygienic too!

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So in the space of a month a lot of great life changing things have happened, a lot of swings and roundabouts, but I am finally more myself and much more zen now.

My sleep pattern has been awful recently and I haven’t been sleeping well. I need to get back into the groove and continue to attend Yoga and Pilates, learn to relax and take time out more. I would love to complete my goal of mastering the crow position!

However, I have found the benefits of having a routine and being organised, especially when wanting to feel less frazzled in the mornings!

The night before having a particularly busy or stressful day, it’s so important to have a good night’s sleep. Having a bath, lighting a candle, and a personal favourite of mine is putting lavender oil on my pillow; which helps me sleep quickly and deeply! I wake up feeling so refreshed.

Also, if I have late night projects to do then lighting a candle instead of using my big light helps reduce the strain on my eyes. And who doesn’t love a nice smelling candle, right?

This past week I can’t get enough of the gorgeous smell of this Katie Loxton ‘happiness’ candle, with subtle hints of sweet orange and mango. The candle comes in lovely white and gold packaging – simple and elegant. The feel good fragrance is blended with the highest quality soy wax and contains essential oils, each scent chosen specifically to enhance ones mood and well-being.

This is a completely new brand to me, I found the company hewson & nash via Twitter! Their website houses independent retailers who sell a range of products, from candles to clothes. It is definitely worth checking out; whether you want to pamper yourself or treat a colleague/friend!

The founders of the company have an incredible back story which you can read up on via their website. The aim is that you can support independent, local retailers, AND you can contribute to charity too, which is a fantastic combination!

I am so glad I found this website and I will no doubt be buying more Katie Loxton items!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Love Career Girl

xoxo

ps candle was given to me for promotional purposes but thoughts are mine!

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Gym bunny? High five! With a background in dance and a self-confessed, amateur Yogi and Pilates lover, there is nothing I love more than kicking stress in the butt with killer workouts and seriously getting my sweat on!

The classes mentioned below are some of the best workout experiences, with some being completely free and others nearly breaking the bank, but, are guaranteed to make you work hard. I can’t recommend them enough! Whether you are a newbie to fitness or an avid gym-goer, these classes are fun and pretty intense too! This post is long overdue. I attended all these classes over the course of 2016, so let’s get started!

There was a massive amount of buzz around the opening of this gym earlier this year and I was super eager to find out why. It’s considered a boutique gym based in the heart of Farnham. It doesn’t feel like a Gym in the sense it’s very open plan and cool. It’s hard to explain unless you see it! There’s also a super tasty onsite eatery ‘Nourish’ and snazzy showers, plus changing rooms. The classes are centred on essentially these 3 concepts, Move, Sculpt & Ride – the latter I am SO keen to try out!

A while back I was lucky to attend the free Glowga event with the lovely ladies from Lululemon, held at Breathe Studios. Lululemon is a Canadian fitness brand which, in addition to making the best workout gear, also offer and organise free events for and within the community. Glowga (A glow in the dark yoga rave – pretty rad, right?!) was a blast! Lululemon organised shuttle buses to and from the event. As we arrived we were greeted by the instructors and Claire from Good Vibrations Yoga led the class – it was so much fun, a complete sell out! Afterwards, we were given free cocktails from The Botanist and dinner supplied by Nourish. If you want to start yoga or even running, in a relaxed fun environment, Lululemon offer free classes, which is a great way to try something new without a huge expense if you don’t enjoy it!

Red Hot Yoga

Red Hot Yoga – (taken from website)

My co-worker, an avid red hot yoga goer, raved about these classes and how beneficial they were, especially if you want to improve your flexibility. *ping*On my birthday I receive an email from Red Hot Yoga, to try a FREE class of my choice. Normally prices are approx. £13/15 so I jumped at the opportunity. All I knew was that yoga would be held in a very hot room.

I took a small towel with me (idiot, the receptionist took pity on me and brought me a huge towel… FWI bring a full size towel!). Held in a room at approx. 38 – 42C it was seriously hot, in fact, as soon as you walk into the room you practically sweat! I found this class a very intense, hard class, but felt the benefits almost instantly. It was like having a mini detox, my skin felt better and my body was able to stretch more, yet definitely not for the fainthearted!

Barrecore – High St. Kensington

I had vaguely heard of Barrecore but wrongly presumed it would be just like ballet, (in ballet there’s elements of Barre work) but in actual fact, it’s a dance based workout using your body as resistance. The boutique Gym is beautiful! Complete with soft carpet (you wear socks to class) free use of lovely showers and air conditioning. Thankfully, because ten minutes in I was close to quitting!

Barrecore – Kensington (photo taken from website)

This was by far THE MOST INTENSE class ever! Honestly. The instructors are great, friendly and really work you hard! You will be glad of the 5 minutes relaxation at the end. This class will guarantee every inch of your body aches the next day. Thighs especially will be on FIRE – you will seriously feel the burn! I highly recommend trying but classes are expensive, the first introductory class is £25!

Equinox ‘Bootcamp’ at The Mondrian

I booked myself in for this one off Equinox bootcamp class held at the stunning 5 star hotel’s Rumpus Room complete with insane views of London, overlooking the river Thames. The Equinox summer residency included, Boxing, Barre Burn & Bootcamp, the latter which I attended. The £35 ticket for the Bootcamp included a buffet style breakfast which was divine! The workout itself was great, a mix of mat workouts and crawling! The best thing though was doing the plank and squats with the most glorious, early morning view of London!

There is nothing I love more than dressing to impress, whether it’s a fancy party or 9-5 job. Even if others wear more relaxed attire, I think there are so many benefits to dressing well. Dress to impress has always been my motto and guide for picking work outfits. I for one know that the way I dress has a huge impact on my outlook and my motivation towards work. In the past when I have worked in roles where the dress code is super relaxed, e.g. hoodies and trainers, my motivational levels drop. I have a reduced desire to work hard, my confidence takes a hit and I find it harder to care and concentrate!

According to a Forbes article, dressing for success can increase your income. From my own personal experience, I have received better treatment when I am dressed well. I have had more success in interviews and have achieved more of my goals in and outside of the work environment, as the better I dress, the more determined and productive I am!

The latest addition to my workwear wardrobe is this cool 100% cotton, flowy, billowy top from Scotch & Soda. I was given the opportunity to pick out an item from the Tessuti website – a fantastic online dreamy place filled with a variety of luxury brands, from Calvin Klein and Barbour to Moschino and Ralph Lauren (a personal favourite!). This is a brand new website to me, I discovered them at the #bloggersball organised by Scarlett London.

I am an absolute lover of certain luxury brands, as although some items might be on the more expensive side, I am a firm believer that you get what you pay! I am much more inclined to spend more on an item if I think it is better quality, especially as it will wear better and last much longer than ‘fast fashion’ brands such as, say, Primark.

I arrived back from France to a Tessuti delivery, which I will no doubt be frequenting at the office – perhaps when the suns out as it currently feels like winter!

So the past week, and, well, month, has been pretty shitty. I’ve been stressed, I’ve put a tad bit of weight on, have felt like an unmotivated, worried and depressed SLUG if I’m being perfectly honest. Those who know me well will know why… but it has enabled me to think A LOT about everything really.

It’s made me realise a lot about friendships, amongst other things. When the chips are down you find out who your real friends are, the ones who will defend and fight for you in your absence. The friends who, no matter whether it 3pm or 3am, are there for you when you’re crying down the phone, sad. They will tell you how it is, be brutally honest but unbelievably caring.

I have wonderful, quality, vivacious, inspirational and hilariously sarcastic friends who I am so lucky to have. Regardless of whether we text daily or whether we sporadically spend the afternoon and evening chatting away over a cocktail, or several, the fact I know they are there makes me so happy. Such a shame all my college and university friends are dotted all over the globe, but it makes me appreciate the fantastic friends that I have, of which I can count on my fingers, even more I guess.

Facebook friends aren’t the be all & end all

It’s remarkable how when I was younger and more naïve and consumed with wanting to fit in, I was obsessed with the number of Facebook friends I had – at one stage I had over 1000! I’m 22 and although I’m not exactly old, I feel like I have grown up so much since then. I have deactivated my Facebook and prefer to spend my time and energy on my ‘real’ friends, the ones who have been there through thick and thin. A year ago I made a conscious effect to abandon the negativity, the fickle friends and the ones who used me for personal gain, invites to parties or to bail on me at the drop of the hat for a better event, their boyfriend or whatever the flavour of the month was.

Only recently have I felt truly ‘myself’ you know? And I have my lovely, supportive friends to thank for that!

Ridding Fake & Fickle Friends

It hasn’t been easy letting go of childhood, fickle and horribly fake friends. There comes a time when there is no longer much say, less things in common and life goes in different directions. Sometimes, the one person who you thought would be there for you, you’re best friend, who once knew everything about you, is merely a stranger now.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes, things happen for a reason. The fickle friend teaches you to seek out better quality friends. That boy who mistreated who you makes you hunt for a loyal and loving guy, and working a job you hate can propel you to find your dream job.

Everything happens for a reason and sometimes, it may not work out now, but it will soon. So trust the universe!

Recently, I have been neglecting myself and my skin. With my job, I am often in such a rush to get out of the door on time, I merely cleanse, tone, and if I have some spare time I use a bit of tinted moisturiser. Although it’s technically summer, it definitely feels like winter and with the cold and horrible wind, my skin is so not in the condition I would like it to be. My skin tends to get incredibly dry, so making sure it is hydrated is such a challenge.

Attending the fabulous #bloggerball event held by the lovely Scarlett, I stumbled across the fantastic, but new to me brand, Face Matters. The founder of the company, Sally, is a charming women who is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about her products. She has combined her experience and expertise in the beauty sector to create the amazing collection of 5 products.

At first glance, these products have very simple but effective packaging, in glass bottles and come with a handy leaflet, detailing the specific science behind how each of the products are designed to work; and how to use the products to gain the best effects.

On the website there is a breakdown of the trails and the reviews of each of the products, which is helpful, and the results gained from this research are pretty good!

So, all of the products that I tried smell divine! This is so important to me, as the scents are not overpowering, instead, are beautifully subtle.

I was kindly gifted the ALL DAY SPRITZ, which is a cleansing spray that can applied day or night, just whenever your skins needs an extra boost of hydration; preferably after cleansing and before moisturising. It is a great product and I think would be especially beneficial in both winter and summer when the weather tends to affect your skin more.

Next, I have been applying the MORNING MOISTURE after cleansing. Initially I stupidly put a bit too much on my face! You really only need a pea size amount and use it sparingly as a little goes a long way. The cream is quite thick which I love, and it’s also jam packed with goodness, vitamins, anti-oxidants and collagen which is essential for maintaining youthful skin.

Last but not least is the amazing and very luxurious BALM. There are a multitude of ways to use this product, as a cream, cleanser or mask. I opted for the latter and it makes my skin feel instantly more moisturised, supple and glowing. This is perfect for extreme weather conditions.

The above products are relatively pricey. However I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for, and the cost per wear of all these products will work out better in my opinion than getting cheaper products.

There are 2 other products, one of which, the EVENING ELIXIR is on my list of products to try as it’s loved by Hello! Magazine, but also, as the products I’ve tried so far are so good, I’m intrigued as to how the serum/facial oil will fair.

So from now on, I am hoping to set my alarm even earlier before work to ensure I stick to my new skincare routine!

I hope you have enjoyed this, let me know your skincare recommendations in the comments below!